THIS COMPONENT IS TITLED DEVELOPMENTAL FUNDS PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT DEVELOPMENTAL FUNDS PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The Siteman Cancer Center (SCC) Developmental Funds are a portion of a successful pilot grant program which includes overall the CCSG supported SCC Research Development Awards (RDAs), Breast Cancer RDAs, American Cancer Society Institutional Research Grants and the Cancer Frontier Fund awards. The intent of the program is to present opportunities for SCC members to expand collaborations and diversify science as they gather preliminary data for future external, peer-reviewed funding. To increase the optimal use of RDA dollars, program value to members, and outcomes for SCC member pilot projects, a committee of review chairs has been tasked by Siteman senior leadership with the development and oversight of RDA ?best practices? in shaping requests for applications in line with SCC's strategic plan and priorities. In addition, review chairs are looking for ways to expand mentorship for junior faculty in shaping novel projects and developing and refining ideas, encouraging collaborative efforts between program members, and looking for ways to continue to improve the criteria and mechanism used to evaluate candidates and their proposals. Siteman continues to annually evaluate and shape a balanced portfolio of RDAs to meet the needs of both established and young investigators to promote the funding of thoughtful proposals that reveal ingenuity and promise findings with potentially wide-ranging implications for cancer research. Siteman Cancer Center's focus for developmental funds is on strategic areas which include translation, imaging, prevention and control, immunology and genomics. A broad range of SCC members comprise the review committees for RDAs designed to include a diversity of backgrounds and scientific fields for each review panel. SCC takes full advantage of the range of talent in its scientific community to evaluate proposals and choose the most promising projects. Applicants receive valuable feedback and many go on to refine proposals based on reviewers' critiques, and submit successful proposals both internally and externally. Providing funding to those scientists who are most likely to make important contributions over the course of their careers is essential for the optimal use of SCC developmental funds. Providing mentoring to SCC members to compete successfully for RDAs and peer-reviewed funding is essential to the success of SCC's pilot grant program and overall strategic goals.